Little Lady's Best Friend
by justanoutlaw
Summary: Killian is stumped at how to fulfill the last wish on Alice's Christmas list.


Alice couldn't have the childhood that most children did, but Killian would be damned if he didn't at least try. Every winter, he did what he could to make sure that she had a good holiday season. When she was a baby, he had crafted a tree out of spare wood he found. By the time she was three, they began to make homemade ornaments and he would lift her in the air so she could place the star at the top. He bought stockings from the local village and hung them on the wall using a nail.

On the eve of the holiday, they'd bake cookies and leave a note to Father Christmas, thanking him for his travels. Alice would go to sleep and Killian would sneak down the tower, fetching her loot and coming back up. He made sure to be quiet, not wanting to ruin her innocence of such things.

Alice never asked for much, so whatever she did, Killian did his best to get. If she requested grass or sand from the beach, he'd fetch it for her. Her favorite marmalade and biscuits were always in stock. He especially went all out for Christmas, the year before he had gotten her a new doll. It quickly became her favorite and the then 5-year-old had brought it everywhere. The older she got, Alice also made him presents. They weren't much, but he cherished the pictures and the necklaces made of leftover candy and loose string.

As the days got colder and he put more logs on the fire to keep the tower warm, he found himself asking her to make her list. She was done within minutes and he scanned the top few items. Puzzles, art supplies and books were nothing new, he already had some in mind. It was the last item on the list that caused him to raise an eyebrow.

"What does this say here, Starfish?" He asked her. She put down her doll and turned to him. "The last item."

"A friend," Alice replied, simply, as if it were the easiest thing in the world.

Killian knelt to her level. "I'm a bit confused by this, love. I'm not sure how Father Christmas is supposed to deliver you a friend."

Alice shrugged. "In my books, friends are people you can talk to. You tell them your secrets and they listen."

"You can do that with me."

"You're my papa. Sometimes I want someone else to talk to."

The honest words cut him like a knife. Alice was getting older and realizing that she was different. As much as he tried to give her everything she wanted, he wasn't enough. She needed more. Maybe if he hadn't had her all to himself for the past 6 years, he wouldn't be so hurt. Alice meant no ill will, she could be sassy and throw tantrums like the best of them, but in that moment he knew she wasn't trying to be hurtful or rude. She was just being honest, she wanted a friend.

Killian tried to think of how he could deliver in that last wish on his next trip to the market. He tried to take them whenever she napped, though those days were slipping quickly behind him. Luckily for him, she had tired herself out, pushing her doll and rabbit in the toy pram he had gifted her for her birthday. After he got the necessities, he looked through the other shops to gather her gifts. The puzzles and art supplies were an easy find. Books for her reading level that she didn't already own were a bit trickier, but he found some along with others that he could read to her.

It was that last item that had him stumped.

As he circled the booths a final time, he felt something licking his boot. Killian looked down and found a golden retriever there, sniffing and slobbering all over him. A man ran up, grabbing hold of the dog's collar.

"Sorry about that," he said. "Took my eye off him for one minute and he was gone."

"Aye, it's alright."

"Man's best friend, they say," the man rambled on. "Don't know what I'd do without him."

A smile grew on Killian's face. "Of course."

The holiday snuck up quicker than he liked, but Killian managed to line up the gift he had in mind. He arranged with their closest neighbors to hold the gifts until it was time, going through his traditions with Alice. Not long after the moon appeared in the sky, Killian tucked her into bed and read her a story of a man that saw Father Christmas, promising Alice that he would arrive while she slept.

As usual, Killian was awoken the next morning by Alice jumping up and down on his hammock. He chuckled, holding her close to make sure she didn't fall. They traded Merry Christmases before racing to the stockings to see the oranges and other sweets that had been left in there. Then, Alice sat by the tree. She unwrapped all her gifts, gushing over each one and even pausing to do one of the puzzles. She gave him the gifts that she had made for him, this year included a portrait of the two of them (she got better with every passing day) and necklace made of string and a few wooden beads from her doll. He showered her with kisses, thanking her for both items that he would treasure for years to come. Once everything was unwrapped, she went to bring her new supplies to the easel, but Killian stopped her.

"I think there's one present you missed."

"There's nothing left under the tree, Papa."

"Why don't you check in the kitchen?"

Alice tilted her head, but followed her father to where a small wooden box sat. She peered inside and then squealed, jumping up and down. Once she composed herself, she reached inside and gently removed the red and black calico kitten, who was just waking up from its nap.

"Papa! It's a kitten!"

"It is, Starfish. I think Santa tried to hide her so you'd be surprised."

"This is so cool!"

"Well, you know what they say. Dogs are man's best friend, kittens are the friends of little ladies."

Alice beamed from ear to ear and she raced with the kitten, grabbing some loose string for her to play with. Killian leaned against the wall, listening to her name the cat "Dinah". He might not have been able to get her another human to communicate with, but at the very least he could give her a feline friend.


End file.
